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Archived

1978-Ella

On August 28, there was a cyclonic turning of low-cloud elements 925 km southeast of Bermuda and Hurricane Ella formed officially on August 30, 1978. Ella entered Canadian waters near noon on September 4, when it was at its maximum strength of 222 km/h, making this the strongest recorded hurricane in Canadian waters. The storm passed very close to the southeast tip of Newfoundland on September 4 while it was at category 3 strength and subsequently became extratropical as it combined with a frontal system over the North Atlantic. Winds were as high as 115 km/h in Newfoundland, but no damage was reported. Ella continued her trek northeastward and exited the CHC Response Zone on the evening of September 5.

Rainfall image map of Hurricane Ella, which entered Canadian waters near noon on September 4, 1978, then moving close to the southeast tip of Newfoundland on September 4, 1978. Ella continued her trek northeastward and exited the Canadian Hurricane Centre Response Zone on the evening of September 5, 1978. Maximum provincial rainfalls: 45.8 millimetres in Nova Scotia (Sable Island) and 60.8 millimetres in Newfoundland

Hurricane Ella started tracking in the Canadian Hurricane Centre response zone along the eastern seaboard, southeast of Nova Scotia with winds of 64 knots. It kept a northeast track along the Atlantic coast and skimmed the southern tip of the Avalon Peninsula with winds of 64 knots. It then moved out into the Atlantic and out of the response zone. As it tracked through Atlantic Canada the storm reached a maximum wind speed of 120 knots, with an mslp of 956 millibar

Nova Scotia

September 5, 1978

As a precaution in Nova Scotia, many boats returned to port (HH)

Newfoundland

September 5, 1978

Winds of 115 CHC at Cape Race (ET)

45 mm of rain and winds of 57 km/h at St. John’s (ET)

As a precaution in Newfoundland, many boats returned to port (HH)

Delayed the departure of the ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland (HH)